Nightmares
by cellie6135
Summary: Deep below the waves you may find a way to leave your world behind. Where creatures crawl, with dinner on their mind, your only chance is to hide. You may scream, you may shout, but do you have what it takes to make it out?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Deep below the sea you may find, a way to leave your world behind. Travelling the seven seas, there was a vessel known as the 'Ark'. It is a home to some, but a prison to many others. The Ark arrived every year, always at the same time, but never in the same place. It creeps and crawls and buries its claws deep beneath the glistening water and there it sits in vast silence.

Waiting.

It keeps its foulest secrets locked up in prison, hidden away at the dark end of everything. The cell door screams open and shut, another wriggling sack of secrets is thrown into captivity. Once hopeful, now trapped by fat promises, they sit. Out of sight. Out of luck. Awaiting their turn. The Ark is the place of lost things, and has countless tales to tell.

Tales of red eyes, endless feasts, and hapless wanderers.

But The Ark has a short memory, and eventually they all come stumbling in. One by one. Into the lair of the ultimate lifeform. More lost things. Soon after, they start to arrive. The hungry guests. The monstrous, sweating, angry guests. All seams bursting, bodies bulging, eyes dead with boredom; the Dame is waiting for them.

They shuffle up the struggling gangway and into the open mouth of The Ark, and then, they are no more. For none of those that enter have ever returned to tell the tale.

At least, not yet...


	2. Home Sweet Home

**Chapter 1: Home Sweet Home**

Deep with the maze that was The Ark, an innocent child's laughter echoed through the darkness, along with the pitter patter of little feet. The darkness was suddenly illuminated by the dim glow of a small torch in a child's adventurous hand. This was Sonic. He was a six year old hedgehog with beautiful anzure blue fur that covered most of his body, peach skin that covered his muzzle and front torso, and glowing emerald-green eyes.

He had six long quills on the back of his head, two spines protruding from his back behind his shoulders, and a short tail.

He only wore a pair of red sneakers, white shorts and a dark, navy blue sweater. Scuttling around his feet were three small rats. Unpredictability could be found throughout The Ark, and so can the rats. Though experience has taught them to be skittish and hide, some still try to make friends with strangers; these rats rarely survive.

Sonic didn't seem to mind these rats, in fact, he seemed to be happy to see them.

The rats were really his only friends. They followed him around, sniffing and his feet and at a few vent grates. Sonic would then quickly opened it and would climb through, the vent being perfect for his size. As he continued to climb over pipes and play fetch with the rats by throwing a rock or something similar to a ball that he could find, he frowned in confusion when he saw the three rats screeching fearfully and running away.

He followed them with his torch and saw them crawl into a crack that was much to small for him to squeeze through.

Sonic cocked his head in confusion, wondering what had caused them to flee in terror. His question was answered soon enough when a hand suddenly picked him up by the scuff, causing him to drop his torch as he limbs went limp and his body curled a little. He looked up and pouted when he saw a familiar face glaring down at him.

It was Shadow.

With hard forgotten things from cruel forgotten places, Shadow fled the world and found The Ark. Now he is a tall tale hiding in the shadows, stalking the silence, a monster alone. Shadow was a black hedgehog with red stripes on his quills, around the edges of his eyes and on his arms and legs. He had red eyes, a patch of white fur on his chest and his muzzle was tan.

He had six quills on his head, four of which curve upwards, and two that curve downwards, two spines on his back and a small tail.

For attire, he wore white gloves with black cuffs and red tongues and on each of his wrists and ankles, he wears a single gold ring. He wore an open, black leather jacket with dirty, dark grey cargo pants and a belt with various tools attached to it. His glowing red eyes glared down at the little ball of blue fur in his hand before he started walking.

Sonic instantly knew where they were going and tried to stop it.

 **"NO! I WON'T DO IT! YOU CAN'T TAKE ME! I WON'T LET YOU!"** Sonic screamed, which was really the only thing he could do. "Oh I get it, the silent treatment." He pouted when Shadow didn't even flinch. "I still won't do it, your wasting your time Shad's." He said and smirked when he heard Shadow sigh at the nickname.

"Are you finished?" He glared.

"Yeah." The six year old smiled innocently.

"Good, because we need to have a chat." He said and Sonic gulped.

"A-About what?"

"About how you snuck out this time."

"It wasn't that hard to leave, you're not around anymore." The child muttered sadly as they come up to an old, elevator made almost entirely out of thick wooden planks. Shadow just sighed and pressed the button for the elevator. There was a shuttering and bumping before the old elevator doors opened and Shadow held in an annoyed groan.

Standing within the elevator was Knuckles.

Knuckles was a muscular echidna with red fur that covered most of his body, peach skin on his muzzle, a white crescent-shaped patch of fur on his chest, and purple eyes. He also had seven dreadlock-like spines on his head and a medium-sized tail. He wore a white tan top that was covered with stains, dark yellow cargo shorts and he carried a large tool box in his right hand.

"Evening Shadow." He said in a dry tone.

"Echidna." Shadow replied accordingly as he stepped into the elevator with Sonic still in his hand.

"How far did he get this time?"

"Far enough." He replied and Knuckles sighed as he pressed the button to started the elevator. After almost five minutes of silence, Knuckles finally cleared his throat.

"Ya know what I'm gonna say Shadow."

"Then don't." He hissed.

"Ya need to discipline that child Shadow; my father used to say to me: 'Spare the rod, Spoil the child.', and you do spoil him."

"It isn't your job, echidna." He snarled, but Knuckles didn't even flinch.

"Yet we're all still involved, because ya let him run wild and waste ya time tracking him down again; don't ya have other stuff to do around here?"

"They all get done in time, which is more than I can say for you!"

"Look Shadow, I'm not saying yer not doing a good job, ya've been doing it for years, but your started to slip and everyone knows it."

"You trying watching a hyper six year old and still get all your work done! It's not as easy as you all make it sound!"

"Can't ya put him in a playpen, or a cage, or something when your busy to stop him running around causing trouble?" Knuckles suggested.

"No! He's just a child, I won't punish him for wanting to explore a little." He snarled.

"Fine then, what about a babysitter? Someone to watch him when you're busy, you used to do it when he was a baby; ya know the girls won't say no but the boys... well... you might have to ask nicely." He laughed. "Doesn't her 'highness' know ya could use some help?"

"The Dame... doesn't know about every little detail but she knows I'm doing my very best to follow her instructions to the letter." He sighed.

"Ya'd think she'd take more interest, ya know, given the... uh... circumstances." Knuckles shrugged as Shadow sent him a death glare.

 **"DON'T YOU DARE INSULT OUR LADY LIKE THAT KNUCKLEHEAD! IF IT WEREN'T FOR HER, WHO KNOWS WHERE WE'D ALL BE!"** He snarled, causing Sonic to whimper in fear; when Shadow saw this, he pulled the child to his shoulder and started to cradle him slightly, rubbing his back softly to calm him down, which worked.

"Look, all I'm saying she hasn't been down here in six years, just handed us the kid and that was it as far as she was concerned, it's sad really." He sighed and Shadow nodded in understanding.

"The Dame does what she has to in order to keep the Ark alive; you know what's at stake."

"Yeah, I guess." He sighed as they elevator came to a stop and Shadow stepped out. "The boat will be here by next week so ya can expect the next shipment by then, and please, if we all want to keep our pelts, keep Sonic as far away as possible." Knuckles called out as the doors shut and the elevator shuttered off again...


	3. Bathtime Stories

**Chapter 2: Bathtime Stories**

As Shadow carried little Sonic up the seemingly endless spiral stairs, Knuckles' words kept echoing in his head. He knew Sonic had an adventurous spirit and in The Ark, that could be a very dangerous thing; but he just couldn't stop the boy. He knew The Ark was no place for children, well, at this not this part of the vessel, but he really was trying his best.

"Meany." Sonic suddenly blurted out, referring to Knuckles.

"Sonic." Shadow warned as they reached the top of the stairs and went to the door at the of the hall.

"But he is!"

"Well I don't want to hear it! You should be respectful to the people around here, they all bend over backwards to make sure this place runs like clockwork and they try their very best to make you happy."

"I know." The child sighed as they entered their living quarters.

All the workers on The Ark had their own living quarters, some had to share, but most got their own space. Sonic shared a room with Shadow. Their living quarters weren't anything luxurious, it was a space with a few small room; the room they were currently standing in was the 'living room' of sorts, even though all there was was a couch and a few cabinets.

There was a small bathroom to their left, to their right was Shadow's room and ahead of them was Sonic's room.

"So, where are we going?" Sonic asked.

"Where do you think?" Shadow said as he held in a smirk. "You're getting a bath, even if it kills me."

 **"WHAT?! NO, YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!"** Sonic cried as he tried to wriggle out of Shadow's grip, but as they entered the bathroom and Shadow locked the door, he knew the fight was already over.

"It's not up for debate Sonic, and if you don't get in you'll get a spanking." He threatened as he set Sonic down and ran the bath.

"Y-You wouldn't hit me!" He pouted and Shadow almost chuckled as the uncertainty in the child's voice as he took off his clothes.

"Don't tempt me." He said as he lifted Sonic into the bath and started scrubbing his back. "So, where were you heading this time?"

"The kitchen." He sighed.

"Why? You've already had dinner?"

"I know, but Vector always makes me his special chilidogs and I won't see any of them for weeks." He sighed.

"I understand you get lonely Sonic, but those three, like the rest of us, have an important job to do and they will be very busy for the next few weeks, it's best if you don't distract them." He explained. "It's one thing to runaway from important things like baths, but when the boat arrives you need to stay down here so I can keep up safe."

"I know."

"If you had just asked me I would have taken you."

"I did ask, you said you were too busy." He pouted. "And won't Knuckles be mad if I go upstairs?"

"If I'm with you he can't complain; how about this? If you promise to behave yourself then tomorrow, I'll take you up to the kitchens." He smiled when Sonic's head whipped up to look at him.

"Really?" He squealed happily as Shadow lifted him out the bath and wrapped him in a fluffy towel.

"Yes, now go get your pyjamas one and brush your teeth." He chuckled as he placed Sonic's clothes into a basket and watched as Sonic ran to his room to get dressed. As he put the basket of dirty laundry by the door and made a mental note to take them down in the morning, he took a seat on the couch and rested his head against the back, ready to fall asleep.

Suddenly he felt a lump jump onto his lap and saw Sonic, dressed in his favourite yellow ducky pyjamas, smiling up at him with an innocent smile.

"Story please." He smiled.

"Sonic, it's very late and I'm tired, can't you wait until tomorrow night?" He asked until Sonic gave him the puppy eyes and he sighed in defeat. "Fine, which one do you want to hear?"

"The one about the prince in the shadows!" He begged with a large smile.

"Alright." He chuckled as Sonic snuggled into his middle and got comfortable.

"Many, many years ago there was a magic castle in a beautiful kingdom; the kingdom was ruled by a wise and beautiful queen who used her magic to protect and provide for her people; but just beyond the kingdom was a very evil man who wanted her land and her power. For years the queen and the man fought each other in an eternal dance, both unable to over power the other; but there was something the man didn't see coming, a child, a prince who could take over his mother's place when the time was right, a prince who was more powerful than any king before him. The man tried many times to take the child and in fear for her son and her kingdom, the queen sought the help of a forgotten warrior, someone whom she could trust to protect her child until the time was right, until the prince could return and defeat the man and take his place as King." He chuckled as he glanced down at Sonic.

The blue hedgehog was rubbing his emerald eyes and with a heavy sigh he snuggled his tiny body into the ebony hedgehog's white chest fur.

"Yeah Shads, finish the story please." He yawned.

"Really Sonic? Because you do sound tired?" He smirked.

"I'm not tired!" The little hedgehog huffed as he let out a heavy yawn. "You're tired."

"No Sonic" He said as he lifted him off his chest and gently stood up. "Looks like we had enough stories for tonight. Time for bed."

"But I don't need to sleep." He whined and he made his displeasure known by grabbing Shadow's neck in a very Knuckles-like grip, refusing to budge. "Amy and Knuckles never sleeps, why can't I just stay up like everyone else?"

"They don't know better." He frowned as he peeled the child off his neck as he walked towards the little one's room. Within seconds, little Sonic was out like a light, his mouth still open in mid-protest just as exhaustion won.

"Off to bed." He whispered a Sonic resting himself against his chest. His red eyes kept drifting to him, even though he could still feel the little one breathing there was always that paranoid tug at the back of his mind saying he could never be too careful. Sonic groaned, punching something in his sleep. His little face scowled and eased.

Shadow slowly opened the door and sighed at Sonic's room.

It had baby blue wallpaper, a soft white carpet, a small bed in the corner with red sheets and there were dozens of toys scattered around the bedroom floor, with a few rolling from one side of the room to the other with the ship.

"Rest easy, we have a full day tomorrow." He sighed as he gentle placed Sonic into the soft bed and pulled the covers over him and pulled out his favorite blue pillow to stuff beneath his tired head.

He turned off Sonic light and gave him one last check before leaving him to rest...


	4. Plans

**AN:** **Ok, so I've been reading all the reviews on this story and you want me to tell you what I noticed? They're all the same! Seriously, the only that's different is the user names. I'm glad that people are reading the story but come on people, I don't want to be reading the same message over and over again, show some creativity!**

 **That being said:**

 _ **HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY THE CHAPTER!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Plans**

Shadow sighed as he finished cleaning up Sonic's mess in their living quarters. He really wanted to climb into his bed, but he hated a mess and always thought it was best to clean it up when the hyperactive six year was in bed. After he'd finished cleaning the living room and bathroom, he was ready for bed when he saw one of the rats Sonic played with, a black and white one, staring up at him.

In its mouth was Sonic's torch.

Shadow frowned as he pulled the torch out of the rat's mouth and examined it. Since when did Sonic get his hand on a torch? Shadow sighed as he tossed the torch into one of the cabinets and decided to ask Sonic about it later. Just as he was about to hit the hay, there was a light knocking on the door and he resisted the urge to Chaos Blast.

He opened the door and glared when he saw there was no one there.

He stepped out into the dark hallway and looked around, but he found no one there. He was about to go back inside when he noticed a small white envelope on the ground in front of the door. He carefully picked up the small envelope and frowned when he saw what looked like a rough blue hedgehog scribbled on the front of it.

It didn't take a genius to work out that it was for Sonic.

The question on Shadow's mind was who put it there? He was about to open it when the flapping of wings and the heavy scent of perfume filled the air, he sighed as he turned around to face his visitor. It was his 'friend' Rouge. She was an anthropomorphic bat with white fur, tan skin, teal eyes and endowed female features.

She had large pointy ears, small fangs, a bare muzzle with a small black nose, a short tail and a pair of black wings on her back.

Only her head appeared to have fur. Her short white hair flared out at the back and she wore blue eyeshadow, as well as lipstick. Her typical attire consisted of a black skin tight jumpsuit, a pink, heart-shaped chestplate-like top with white trim, and tall white gloves and boots with pink cuffs.

"Hey Shadow, what's that you got there?" She smiled, gesturing to the letter in his hand.

"What are you doing here Rouge?" He glared and she just huffed in annoyance.

"I just wanted to say goodnight to my favorite blue baby before he went to bed, but it looks like I'm too late."

"Don't lie to me, you already saw Sonic after his dinner, so why are you here?"

"Alright fine." She sighed. "I ran into Knuckles a few minutes ago and he said you could use some help watching Sonic, like a babysitter."

"Oh did he real?" Shadow glared, already plotting to skin the echidna alive.

"Yes, well, you didn't answer my question Shadow, what's with the letter? Pinky still trying to get with you?" She laughed.

"It's not for me, it's for Sonic." He glared as he handed her the letter to look at. She quickly opened it and pulled out a piece of paper. When she saw what was on it, she frowned in confusion.

"It's some kind of child's drawing, of what, I haven't a clue." She said as Shadow's heart clenched.

"A child you mean as in-"

"I'm not sure, but if it is one of them then he's got some guts."

"But Sonic's seen any of the others before, how could one know he was up here?"

"Well, can you think of a time when Sonic was out of your sight, even if it was only for a few minutes?" She smirked.

"But why a drawing with no words?"

"Maybe the child can't read, or was afraid someone like you would see it first, and what are these things doing here?!" She screeched as the white and black rat ran passed her and into the darkness.

"Sonic didn't want them to go hungry, I only let them hang around because he likes the company."

"Rats make disgusting pets, you have no idea where they've been, that poor boy needs real company, besides you, me and the others." She sighed. "Have you considered bringing him a playmate? Like a friend? I mean, there's an abundance of them down stairs."

"Out of the question! The others would lose it if they found out!"

"Since when do you care what anyone else thinks, besides, you out rank pretty much everyone here." She said. "Have you considered that having someone around who was close to his age would encourage him not to run rampant around here?"

"It would probably encourage him more."

"Then consider what's expected of him, don't you think that as his guardian you should try and give him some kind of childhood while you still can?"

"This child, whoever they are, I don't want them trying to contact him again, they'll end up telling him what's really downstairs."

"He's going to see it sooner or later."

"He's not ready!" Shadow snarled. "He's a six year old kid who likes stories before bed and hates taking baths! It's my job to protect him from things he's not ready for and he isn't ready for any of it!"

Rouge looked him in the eyes before looking away and sighing.

"So what **do** you plan to do when the time comes?" She asked and he flinched slightly. "You knew how'd this would be when Sonic was given to you all those years ago and you promised that when that day comes you'd let things run their course; but you don't want to hear that do you? Now you realise Sonic isn't the same; after watching and helping us care for them you thought 'What's one more child?', but not even you, like all of us, couldn't stop ourselves getting attached."

"Of course Sonic isn't like them downstairs! You work down there, you should know there's something wrong with them, they don't laugh, most clam up them minute they notice one of us is nearby and their constantly trying to escape!"

"They're just children, they could never understand the reason for The Ark." She replied.

"To be honest, I'm still having a hard time understanding it myself." He sighed as turned back to his door.

"Remember what I said honey, you're his guardian, it's your job to protect and provide for him, that includes all his needs." She said before flying away.

He didn't say anything and went back into the room. After checking to make sure Sonic was still asleep, he went back into his bedroom for some well earned rest...

* * *

Unbeknownst to Shadow or Rouge, just above their heads in the vents, a pair of blue eyes were peering down at them, listening as best as they could to their conversation.

Once the bat and hedgehog went their separate ways, the small figure crawled back thought the dark vents and pipes until she returned to her room, which she shared with six other children.

As she climbed into her bed, the others immediately pounced.

"It's alright, I'm fine." She reassured. "I tried but it didn't work, as long as he's with him we can't get close, so for now we're on our own; but if we don't finish this then no one's getting out, so we need to focus."...


	5. Morning After

**AN:** **Alright, that's it, thanks to a very helpful review I've come to realise that most of the people who are reviewing this are spamming me. I, like this site don't** **tolerate** **spams and I've report you and the reviews, anymore and I will have to block you.**

 ** _holyheckles:_ Thank you for the review and thank you for alerting me of the spam.**

 ** _Pamitydesu01:_ I'm glad your excited for the next part and I hope you continue to enjoy this story.**

 **Now that that's said:**

 **HOPE YOU ENJOY THE CHAPTER!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Morning After**

The next morning Shadow woke up bright and early to get his work done. After getting washed and dressed, Shadow took a quick look and saw Sonic was still fast asleep. He chuckled before he grabbed the full laundry basket and headed down into the prison, he didn't care what the others said, that's all it was to the dark hedgehog.

As he walked through the dark, damp corridors, he passed the cafeteria and saw all the children, aged 2-17, all inside and eating their breakfast that Knuckles served them.

He and the echidna gave each other a simple nod in acknowledgement before Shadow continued on his way. When he arrived at the large laundry room he saw Amy Rose and Blaze already there, washing the children's clothes and bedsheets. Amy was a pink-furred anthropomorphic hedgehog with green eyes and peach skin on her muzzle and arms.

Unlike other hedgehogs, her spines were not spiky in appearance, but are rather worn down like that of ordinary hair, somewhat resembling a bob cut.

She wore both a red hairband and a red one piece top with a white collar, yellow buttons on the her left side and a lavender sarashi around her waist. She also wore white gloves, purple sports tape and golden ring bracelets around her wrists, purple stockings, and red-violet shoes with pink soles and toes, gray straps and pink plate with two yellow buttons on top.

Blaze was a lavender-furred, anthropomorphic cat with gold eyes.

Her muzzle was white, her inner ears were peach colored and the tip of her tail was dark purple. Her fur was longer on each side of her head and swept slightly upwards. She had four plumes of 'hair' done up in a high ponytail with dark purple tips. She wore a long purple flared mantle-like coat of sorts with a gold collar and white tights.

Her outfit was generally accented in pinks and reds, including her high heeled shoes, hairband, coat trim, and a small gem on her forehead.

"Good morning Shadow." Blaze said and he just huffed as he tipped the dirty laundry into one of the many machines.

"So, where's little Sonic?" Amy asked.

"Still asleep upstairs."

"Wait, you mean you just left him all on his own again?!" The pink hedgehog glared, but frozen when Shadow sent her a glare and his hand crackled with red energy.

"Why don't you go back upstairs Shadow, I'll bring up your laundry when it's done." Blaze offered.

"Thank you." He sighed before shoving passed Amy and out the room...

* * *

Sonic let out a strangled cry as he shot up from his bed, his body soaked with sweat. It was the same, terrifying nightmare again. He sat in his bed for a few minutes, waiting for Shadow to come for him. Whenever he had a nightmare, Shadow would hear him waking up and come check on him, but the ebony hedgehog didn't come.

"S-Shadow?" He squeaked but there was nothing but silence.

He slowly climbed out of his bed, flinching when he felt his stomach rumble in hunger. He quickly dashed throughout their living quarters within seconds, but Shadow was nowhere to be found. He looked at the 'front door' and a thought came to him. He knew he promised Shadow he wouldn't run off but he was scared, alone and hungry.

He ran up to the door, jumped and grabbed the handle and hung on as it slowly swung open.

He dropped down and looked down the hallway. It was still kind of dark as there was no natural light, the only source of light in the hallway were the flickering lights hanging over his head. At either side of him was a door, on the left was Knuckles' and the one on the left was Rouge's. He took small, quiet tip-toed steps as he walked over to Rouge's door and knocked.

After what felt like an eternity, the bat opened the door.

She wasn't wearing any makeup and the only thing she was wearing was a pink bathrobe. She looked around, expecting to see one of her friends, but when she looked down she was shocked to see a teary eyed Sonic looking up at him.

"Sonic? What's wrong?"

"I-I had a nightmare and I can't find S-Shadow!" He whimpered. Rouge sighed as she knelt down and scooped the six year old into a protective embrace...

* * *

Shadow sighed as climbed the creaky staircase back to his and Sonic's room. He was holding a bowl of cereal for Sonic, knowing that when the boy woke up he'd be hungry. As he entered the hallway, he felt a sliver of panic when he saw the quarters' door open. He almost ran inside and went straight to Sonic's room and almost had a stroke when he saw the room was empty.

He went into the bathroom and his own room and saw they too were empty.

He was about to go searching for the adventurous blue hedgehog when he stopped. His flicked towards Rouge's door when he heard Sonic's laughter coming from inside the bat's room. He almost threw the door open and ran inside. Rouge's room was the same as Shadow's except hers had dark purple wallpaper, a black carpet, a red leather couch and a dark oak wood coffee table.

She had a bedroom, a bathroom and she had converted the spare room into a giant closet.

Shadow looked around and saw Rouge and Sonic sat on her couch with a plate of half eaten eggs and sausages in front of the boy.

"SHADOW!" Sonic cried when he saw his guardian before he ran over and tackled the older hedgehog, wrapping his arms around his waist. Shadow froze as he almost spilt the bowl of cereal all over Rouge's carpet.

"What are you doing in here Sonic?" He asked as the bat took the bowl and placed it on her table.

"I had a nightmare and I was scared and hungry and I couldn't find you, so I went to Rouge, I didn't run off!" He exclaimed. Shadow sighed as he knelt down and placed a comforting hand on the child's shoulder.

"I'm not angry at you Sonic, it's a good thing you went straight to Rouge instead of running off, now you go finish your breakfast while I have a word with Rouge." He said.

Sonic gave him a smile before returning to the coffee table and began munching on his eggs. He waited until Sonic seemed relaxed enough before gesturing for the bat to go into her room with him. Rouge's room had red walls, a white carpet, a black dressing table and a large queen size bed with black satin sheets.

"So, where did you run off to?" She smiled as she pulled out a glass and a half empty wine bottle from one of her draws.

"I went to take down some laundry and then I went to make Sonic some breakfast, I had hoped he'd still be asleep when I got back." He explained.

"Shadow, we talked about this last night, you can't keep leaving Sonic alone anymore, he's not going to just wait around for you to come back he's going to go looking for something fun."

"I know!" He glared.

"Please Shadow, I'm saying this as a friend, if you know that you're going to have to leave Sonic alone for long periods of time, just ask me or someone else to watch him, we won't say no."

"I'll think about it." He glared before leaving to get Sonic ready for the day...


	6. Kitchen-Sitter

**Chapter 5: Kitchen-Sitter**

Shadow held in a pained grunt as walked over to the elevator. He had two boxes in his arms; one box full of supplies for the kitchens and the other for another purpose. He also had a hyper Sonic on his shoulders, pulling at his little black ears. As Shadow pressed the button and waited for the elevator, Sonic suddenly gasped and Shadow froze, ready to blast any threat that came.

"Patch!" The blue hedgehog squealed as the same black and white rat from last night squeaked up at him. Shadow sent the rat a glare before the elevator doors opened and he stepped inside and closed them before the rat could run inside.

"What about Patch?" Sonic asked as the elevator went up.

"Sonic, you know that rats aren't aloud in the kitchen and I'm sure you don't want any harm to come to your 'friend', so it's best if he stays downstairs; anyway, I have a question for you."

"What?"

"Where'd you get this?" He asked as he pulled out the torch.

"The girl gave it me." He shrugged innocently.

"What girl?" Shadow frowned, scared of the answer.

"Well, you know how sometimes I like to crawl through the vents when your not around? Well a ran into a girl there, she seemed scared."

"What did she say to you?" He asked as his heart clenched with fear.

"Just asked who I was and why weren't I downstairs with the 'others'; I told her my name and that I lived with you." He replied, not noticing Shadow's uneasiness. "When I said that she got weird and just gave me the torch, saying if I wanted to be free it'll help me find her; Shadow, who are the 'others'?" He asked and Shadow almost cursed.

"Well... uh...you see..." He gulped, not sure how to answer.

Just then the elevator doors opened to the kitchen floors. Above the staffs' living quarters and the prison, in the steaming grease of the kitchen, the three chefs are hard at work. Shuffling across the cold tiles, hard at work, they fill each dish with blood, sweat, and tears. From the freezer to bloody mincer to tables they go.

Shadow knew those three worked very hard to feed everyone aboard the Ark.

Despite he thinking they could be idiots at times he couldn't deny they did an amazing job. They made sure the skin is salted, the hearts are boiled and the wings are clipped. Those three always deliver. The kitchen is their muse, but Shadow knew their tools are a secret. A foul secret. Sonic almost jumped off Shadow's shoulders.

Shadow carefully set the boxes down and put Sonic on the tile floor.

The blue boy quickly ran down the hall and turned left. Shadow let out a sigh of relief for Sonic's short attention span. It gave him time to come up with a good lie for when Sonic asked again. He just couldn't tell him the truth about what was really downstairs. The boy just wasn't ready for it yet. He feared it would do terrible damage to the little one.

He walked into one of the kitchens and saw little Sonic happily bouncing around Vector as the crocodile was busy chopping up thick steaks.

Vector was a large, green-skinned crocodile with small red scales down his tail. Vector had a thick body. His stomach, as well as arms, were light green and his eyes, as well as the scales down his back, were vermilion. He had small, black shoulders. He wore a white chef outfit that was full of stains and a thick, gold chain around his neck.

"Shadow, can ye get yer boy away from me table, I don't want to cut the kid." He pleaded and Shadow pulled Sonic away. The six year old immediately ran into the other part of the kitchen where the pots, ovens and other foods were cooking.

"This is the last shipment, it should be the last lot until after the boat arrives." He said as he put the box by the table.

"Right, I'll have Espio or Charmy sort it out." He said.

"Vector, is it alright for Sonic to stay here for a while I take this upstairs?" He asked as he picked up the other box.

"Sure, Charmy can watch him 'til ya get back." Vector smirked.

"Thank you Vector, Rouge will come pick him up in an hour, just give him something to eat and he won't be an trouble." Shadow said before he went into the next room.

He looked around until he saw little Sonic sat on a stool as he watched Espio stirring something, chili he thought, in a pot and Charmy was carefully waiting for something in one of the oven. While Vector handled all the meats and fish, Espio handled the soups and drinks and Charmy handled the desserts and baked goods.

Even Shadow admitted the smell of all the food was making him hungry.

Espio was a purple chameleon with a yellow horn between his eyes, golden eyes and a ridge of three black scales down his spine and a coiled tail. He wore the same chef outfit as Vector and Charmy with dark purple and black shoes with elaborate cuffs, white gloves with a purple back, and studded bands around his wrists and ankles.

Charmy was an anthropomorphic black-and-yellow striped bee with yellow-and-black striped antennae, a pair of small wings fluttering behind him and golden eyes.

He wore a chef outfit, white and orange shoes, white gloves cuffed with black rings, a black pilot's helmet with a red rim and flight goggles.

"Alright Sonic, I'm just heading upstairs and Aunt Rouge will come get you later, you'll be good right?" He said.

"Yeah Shadow, where are you going?" He asked.

"Just upstairs, be good." He said and turned to leave, only to be stopped by Espio.

"Since you're going to seeing... you know, could you take this up for her?" The chameleon asked as he placed a silver, victorian style tea set on a tray and an english breakfast on it on top of the box he was carrying.

He simply nodded and headed for the elevator...


	7. A Broken Ballad

**Chapter 6: A Broken Ballad**

Shadow swallowed the lump in his throat as he stood in the elevator to the most private and grandest levels in the Ark. Unlike the other elevators in The Ark that were made of either wood or metal, this one was done up with dark magenta wallpaper, a pale lilac cushion floor and it was the smoothest ride of any in the ship, especially to where it lead to.

The Dame's own private quarters, an area of which little entered without permission.

While everyone else indulged and worked beneath her feet, The Dame rested in her private quarters, until the boat arrived. Little is known of this place, for none have ever dared approach it, but Shadow knew that if The Ark had a heart, it would have lived here. As he stepped out of the elevator he found himself in a large manor like home with three levels and two grand staircase.

The walls had an old fashioned, dark purple wallpaper with slick, silent wooden floor boards and a long black rug along the floor and up the stairs.

The walls on the 'ground' level were mostly bookcases filled with thick, ancient books from forgotten times. The wall had old, some faded, pictures and dim lamps and candle lit lanterns hanging from them. As Shadow slowly walked up the first grand staircase to the second floor, he looked up and glared at the large, golden framed portrait looking down at him.

It was The Dame and her husband.

The married couple were still had a young glow in the photo, the joy in their eyes still haunting him in his deepest slumber. There was a bundle of white in The Dame's arms, the tiny form unseen in their protective embrace. For all her shortcomings and the rumors spread by his colleagues, Shadow couldn't completely detest her, not when he witnessed first hand The Dame's love and affections.

Even if it was for a brief time, The Dame did show emotion.

Many people, sometimes himself included, believe The Dame was an empty shell of who she used to be before the attack, but Shadow remembered very clearly. And there was a part of him that held onto the hope that The Dame loved still. Perhaps it was foolish, but he hoped for it all the same. He sighed as he came up to a door and slowly pushed it opened.

As excepted, it was empty.

It was The Dame's office. It was just an empty room with a large, black armchair behind a large oak desk, an oak table at the other end of the room and in the other end was a glossy, grand, black piano with a small thin vase full of red roses sat on top of it. He sighed as he carefully placed the large box on the floor by the desk and the tray onto the oak table.

He then walked over to the piano.

His gloved fingers ghosted over the white keys until he finally pressed one. As the brief sound shattered the silence, Shadow felt a feeling of nostalgia wash over him.

"I remember when you use to play for me." A voice suddenly said from the door.

Shadow quickly turned around and saw The Dame standing proud and tall in the doorway, looking at him. She wore a victorian mermaid dress made from black velvet, black silk gloves and a small, black veil that obscured her face from people's sight. The only features of her's that were visible were her lavender quills and a tuff of sunshine blonde her on the top of her head.

"My lady." Shadow said with a respectful bow. "I've brought the files for this month and Espio asked me to bring you your breakfast."

"Thank you Shadow." She said as she opened the box and took out the first file. She quickly sat down at her desk, pulled out a bottle of ink and a feather quill pen and went to work. Shadow was about to leave but the door suddenly slammed shut in his face thanks to The Dame's magic.

"Play me a song, like old times." She smiled and gestured to the piano.

"I don't think that'd be wise my lady." He frowned.

"Shadow, I know it's been years, but surely you haven't forgotten your old tricks." She said as she used her powers to lift him up and practically throw him into the piano stool. Shadow sighed in defeat as he flipped through the old book of sheet music until he came to one of her favourites: Liebestraum by Franz Liszt.

As he played, his mind began to wander.

Back to all those years ago, when her husband would leave for the mainland as the public face of The Ark back in it's glory days, even if she was the true power, the true master of the ship. When saw was lonely and he would play music for her, they'd sometimes play and sing together. Sometimes they would relax and drink together as they shared stories and jokes.

It was a special time.

But nothing good lasts forever. Shadow knew that from experience.

"I remember this song." She suddenly said, snapping him out of his memories. He turned to face her and saw she was standing next to him, having finished the paper work.

"I'd better get back downstairs." He said as he stood up, but she grabbed his arm.

"Please, have a drink with me." She smiled as she pulled out two glasses and a full bottle of red wine. "It'll give us a chance to talk, we haven't done that in a long time."

"My lady... I..." He gulped, words seemingly lodged in his throat, before looking away. "Bernie, I think it's best if we left things as they are; I need to get back to Sonic."

"How is Sonic?"

"He's fine, he's a very curious and adventurous boy, definitely his father's son." Shadow almost spat.

"Shadow." She mumbled but didn't say anything else. He just glared at the floor before grabbing the box, leaving the office and heading straight for the elevator, not looking back once...

* * *

After putting the files back in the prison and seeing to his other duties, which took almost all day, Shadow went back up to his and Sonic's room. When he got there he found Rouge sat on the couch with a glass of wine and a magazine. When she saw him she stood up.

"He's having asleep, he wanted to wait up for you but after 'Alice In Wonderland' he was out like a light." She smiled. "Charmy gave him a plate full of honey tarts and he saved three for you, just heat them up in the microwave." She said as she gestured to the small microwave in the corner, the only kitchen item he ever had in his quarters.

"Thank you Rouge, I guess I could use an occasional babysitter." He sighed.

"So what did she say? Did she ask about him?"

"Yes, and I told her he's fine and a lively boy."

"Is that it?"

"Yes, that's all there is to it." He glared. Rouge wanted to argue but sighed in defeat.

"Goodnight Shadow." She sighed as she left for her own room. Once she was gone, Shadow peeked inside Sonic's room and saw the little one curled up in his bed with only his head quills and ears poking out from under the covers.

He sighed before quietly pulling the door shut and going to bed...

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: OK, now I'm very confused. It seems that has taken down almost all the spam reviews but it still says that I have 23 reviews, if any of you know what's going on could you please let me know.**

 **And thanks to _Pamitydesu01_ for your review on the last chapter and I hope you continue to enjoy the story.**


	8. Surprise!

**Chapter 7: Surprise!**

Shadow smiled as he carried Sonic to the library of The Ark. It had mountains and shelves full of children's and educational books. Since no one could watch the boy for a few hours as they were getting things ready for tonight. He came up to the spare room of the library and sat Sonic down on a small box opposite of an an old TV from around the 1970's.

"Where're you going?" Sonic asked.

"I need to see to some things and I can't take you with me." He replied as he fished through a box and pulled out a few old tapes.

"Am I going hang out Auntie Rouge?" He asked hopefully.

"No, instead you'll be watching some cartoons in this room." He said as he turned on the TV, put the tape in and a black and white version of The Looney Toons came on.

"But I want to come with you!" He whined.

"Since when do you refuse TV?" Shadow smirked.

"I've seen all these shows before! Have ya got anything new?" He begged.

"Sorry Sonic, these are the only tapes I collected before I arrived at The Ark." He replied, only to flinch when he realised his mistake.

"Can you tell me about your past Shads? You never talk about it."

"That's a story for another time Sonic." He said, not looking at the child.

"Please!" He begged.

 **"I SAID NO! WHY WON'T YOU LISTEN TO ME FOR ONCE AND STOP ASKING?!"** He snapped, his eyes glowing in anger, and Sonic shrank back in fear; when he saw this Shadow sighed before he knelt down and gave the boy a hug. "I will tell you one day when your older Sonic, but just not yet; now, please stay here." He said before closing the door, leaving Sonic alone with the TV...

* * *

After nearly two long hours Sonic had watched and even rewatched all the tapes Shadow had left him, the blue hedgehog was sitting in the small room, bored out of his mind. After debating the idea in his young mind, he stood up and walked out the room into the towering shelves of books. Technically he was still in the library so Shadow couldn't lecturer him about running off.

As he explored the library, he suddenly froze when he heard something under his feet.

He slowly knelt down and pressed his ear against the rug and listened carefully. There it was again; a thumping type of sound. He pulled up the rug and saw a loose floor board. He pulled the floor board up and heard a faint gasp. He jumped down and saw that he was now in some type of crawl space with old yellow paged books and a few book pages scattered across the dusty floor.

His eyes quickly adjusted to the dark and he was shocked to see a small shadow trying to crawl away.

"Hey!" He called after the figure, who froze and started shaking in fear. "Who are you?!"

The figure turned to face him and all fear seemed to evaporate.

"It's you." A quiet girl's voice whispered as she came closer. Just then Sonic was blinded when a bright light suddenly flooded his sight. After his eyes readjusted he gasped when he saw who it was.

It was the same girl who gave him the torch so long ago.

She was a brown chipmunk with dark auburn hair up in a ponytail that connected to the stripe going down her back and ending on her tail. Her face had a lighter brown patch in which her large blue eyes are settled. She was wearing dark blue rags and the was all. She was really skinny and she had dark circles under her eyes.

"You again?" Sonic gasped. "What are you doing again?"

"P-Please, don't tell him I'm here." She pleaded as tears built up in her blue eyes.

"Tell who?"

"T-The dark one." She whimpered and Sonic thought about who that could be.

"You mean Shadow?" He asked and she flinched.

"He'll punish me and my friends if he finds out I left."

"Shadow? He might get angry but he won't hurt you." He smiled. "I'm Sonic, what's your name?"

"S-Sally."

"Nice to meet ya Sal." He smiled. "Why are you here?"

"I just wanted a book, I like reading, so do the others." She gulped as she slowly picked an old book off the floor, which fell apart in her hands.

"Why are you taking these when there's hundreds of better ones right above us." He asked.

"There is?" She asked with wide eyes.

"You don't know?" He frowned and she shook her head. "Then come on, Shadow's not around so what he doesn't know won't hurt him." He smirked.

He then took her hand and led her to the loose floorboard he had used. He pushed it up and helped her out of the dark crawlspace. When the chipmunk saw the towers of books she was in awe.

Sonic just smiled...

* * *

An hour later Sonic and Sally were laughing as they sat in the room with the TV with a dozen books scattered around them. When Sonic showed her the TV she was scared, not knowing what it was, but she quickly started laughing and enjoying to old cartoon shows on the tapes. She also couldn't get over all the books and when she asked if she could take a few for the others he said yes.

"Who are the others?" He asked as he tied a thin rope he had found around five of the books.

"You really don't know?" She gasped when he shook his head. "A few floors below us is a prison where they lock up kids like us and let them out when they turn seventeen." She explained.

"But that can't be right, Shadow said that's where the laundry and dirty water goes."

"He's lying!" She cried. "He's a lying coward who helps them imprison and punish us when we try and go home!"

But everything suddenly went still and cold dread filled them when they heard the sound of a door slamming shut a few rooms over and then the sound of footsteps walking their way.

Shadow was coming back.

"Quick! Behind the boxes!" Sonic said in a hushed whisper, praying to God that Shadow's super senses wouldn't hear them. Sally grabbed the boxes and hid behind the wall of old boxes just as Shadow came into the room. When he saw all the books scattered everywhere, he frowned in confusion before looking back at his charge.

"I didn't know you liked reading?"

"Yeah, well, I finished the tapes and got bored." He smiled nervously, hoping Shadow couldn't smell lies or fear. Thankfully it didn't seem he could.

"Well, I'll clean this stuff up later, we have somewhere to be." He smiled.

"Great, let's go!" He cheered and ran out the room.

Shadow chuckled lightly and was about to follow his out when his ear flicked towards the boxes in the far corner of the room. He thought he heard light, shaky breathing. He was about to check it out when Sonic suddenly poked his head into the room.

"Come on Shadow!" He whined before disappearing again.

Shadow glanced back to the boxes but shrugged it off as rats and went to follow the blue hedgehog...

* * *

"Shadow! Why can't I look?!" Sonic pouted as he cautiously walked down the hall to his and Shadow's room with a blindfold on. The ebony hedgehog laughed deep in his throat as he led the child down the hall.

"Because it's a surprise, just be patient." He smiled as he slowly led the boy into the room.

Suddenly he ripped the blindfold off and turned on the lights. Sonic gasped at the sudden brightness and when he reopened his emerald orbs, he was shocked to see most of The Ark staff standing there.

"SURPRISE!" They cheered as they held up a light blue cake with a glittery nine on top.

"Happy birthday Sonic." Shadow smiled. Little Sonic squealed in delight and to the group who held out presents. As he opened the presents he glanced over at Shadow and saw the ebony hedgehog talking with Rouge about something. He frowned as Sally's words about what's downstairs and Shadow echoed around in his young brain.

 _"What she said can't really be true, can it?"_ He thought to himself as he stared at the floor. _"I don't know about his past before The Ark, or any of the others really, could it really be true?!"_

Suddenly he yipped when Shadow placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you OK Sonic? You seem quiet for the birthday boy?" He smiled and the boy just nodded. "Alright then, I hope you like it." He said and handed Sonic a wrapped present.

The birthday boy smiled weakly as he ripped the paper and gasped when he saw a pair of new sneakers in a box.

"Since your getting older and getting faster, I think it would be best if you had a pair of sneakers that could protect your feet from the friction." Shadow smiled as Sonic took the sneakers out of the box to get a proper look at them.

"I hope you like them, it took his weeks to gather the materials to make them." Rouge smiled as she placed a piece of cake on a plate in front of him.

"Like them? I love them! Thanks you!" He exclaimed as he jumped up and hugged Shadow's chest.

"Your welcome." He chuckled before going to find a piece of uneaten cake. As Sonic watched his guardian walk away he almost mentally slapped himself for his thoughts earlier.

 _"What am I thinking? There's no way Sally's telling the truth. After all, Shadow's been taking care of me since... as long as I can remember; he feeds, washes and tucks me in at night! Would a monster like she said really do that?"_ He smiled at the thought and went back to enjoying his birthday...


	9. Devastation

**Chapter 8: Devastation**

That night, after the party, as Shadow's quiet snores from the other room echoed through their dark, quiet living quarters, Sonic was tossing and turning in his soft bed. Even if he didn't believed what Sally had told him about downstairs and Shadow, but something in the back at his mind was nagging at him, keeping him from falling asleep.

What she said couldn't be true, could it?

Shadow was someone Sonic could always rely on, someone who he knew would always be there for him. Deciding that he would put these thoughts to bed, he climbed out of comfy bed and, still in his pyjamas, he tiptoed out his bedroom peeked into Shadow's room through the open door to make sure the ebony hedgehog was still asleep.

Thankfully he was.

Sonic then crept towards the 'front door' and slowly pushed it opened. He almost sighed in relief when it didn't make a sound. After giving the dark home a quick glance he started to quickly tiptoed down the hall. Shadow did not know the nine year old knew this, but there was a large pipe that he could fit through, a garbage shoot he thought, that went all the way downstairs.

As he opened the heavy hatch and looked down into the darkness of the pipe.

It seemed as if the pipe would swallow him up and make sure Shadow would never find him. He wanted to go back to his bed and forget about all of this, but he shook that feeling away. He'd come too far to back down now, he'd prove to Shadow he was grown up. The nine year old took a deep breath as he climbed into the pipe and jumped down.

After about three minute of sliding down the pipe, Sonic grunted as he fell into a small pile of trash.

He stood up and saw that his pyjamas were covered in dirt, his left pant leg had a small tear and he had a small cut on his right shoulder, staining the sleeve a dark crimson. He blinked back to tears in his emerald green eyes and looked back up at the pipe he had fallen out of; there was no way he'd be able to get back home that way. Looking around, he saw piles of trash all around him and more shoots and pipes above his head. The walls were dripping with water and oil, making them slippery.

But he also saw a vent opening to his left.

It was the only way out of the garbage dump. He jumped and was only just small enough to squeeze through it. He didn't know how long he'd been crawling through the vents, but he saw light at the end of a darkness. As he approached it, he kicked the vent opened and dropped down. He looked around and frowned when he saw the entire area made out of cold steel with water dripping down the walls.

But that's not what confused him.

Before him was a giant tower of some sorts with barred up windows. As he walked closer to the tower, he heard a sharp scraping sound and looked up to a metal bridge where he saw Knuckles pushing a large metal crate towards a door into the tower. Sonic froze until the echidna was out of sight and he could no longer hear the scraping before he let out a breath he didn't even know he'd been holding.

He quickly looked up at the nearest window to him and realised it was too high up for him to jump.

He looked around and saw a few empty boxes lying around. He stacked two up against the wall and started to climb. When he reached the top of his makeshift ladder, he reached for the bars, but his fingers only grazed them. Taking a risk, he suddenly jumped up and grabbed ahold of the cold, iron bars as the boxes collapsed under him.

Grunting at the effort, he pulled the rest of his body up.

He examined the bars quickly before sucking his gut in and only just managed to squeeze his blue body through them. Once he was inside, he saw that he was inside some kind of janitor's closet. After taking a second to catch his breath, he walked over to the door and stepped further inside. He frowned in confusion when he saw what looked like a giant shower room.

It was big enough to hold more than a dozen people.

He gulped as he ran to the other end of the shower room and into another room full of toilets. He quickly brushed off the uneasy feeling creeping up his spine, telling himself that these were just showers and restrooms for the works on The Ark. As he exited the bathroom, he found himself in a long half with six doors on either side.

He took a peek inside.

Inside, he saw what looked like a nurseries playroom. As he looked into all six rooms on the left of the half, he saw that they seemed to change from playrooms to classrooms. He continued walking until he found himself inside a giant, circular tower with six levels and five rooms on each floor. Sonic frowned in confusion as he started walking up the stairs until he reached the third floor.

Suddenly he heard the sound of footsteps coming his way.

In a moment of panic he dove into the nearest room and ducked under something, what he didn't know. No more than five seconds later, he saw Amy stepped into the room and look around before she quietly walked out again. After he was sure she was gone, he carefully crawled out of the bed and when he stood up he gasped.

The nightlight in the corner provided just enough light for Sonic to see five bunk beds on either side of the bedroom!

He could see kids aged around 8-10 sleeping on the beds. Sonic, still in shock, was ready to run out of the room when he saw someone in the far left bottom bunk sit up and look directly at him. It was too dark for Sonic to make out any features of the person, and that just terrified him even more.

"Sonic?" They whispered and Sonic instantly recognized the voice.

"Sally?" He gasped as she silent got up and tiptoed over to him.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I wanted to prove that you were wrong about Shadow." He replied.

"Well?" She frowned as she gestured to the entire interior of the room.

"N-No! There's got to be another reason for all this." He glared and she just shook her head.

"This place... these people... t-they stole use from the land, some of the kids here may not of had homes but I did! I had a home, a life, friends, family; and they took it away from me!" She told him, close to tears.

"But that's nothing like Shadow!" Sonic argued as she wiped the small tears away.

"Come with me." She hissed as she grabbed him arm and led him over to the door. After checking to make sure the coast was clear, they quietly ran down to the ground floor and down a small hall opposite from the one he had entered from. Soon they approached an elevator. As she pressed the button they cringed as they heard the bump and squeal of the elevator coming up to their level.

The second the door opened, Sally almost threw Sonic inside and pressed the button.

As they traveled down, Sonic nervously glanced at the chipmunk.

"So, who brought you here anyway?" He asked, scared of the answer.

"The Dame's men." She shivered.

"W-Who's 'The Dame'?"

"The master of this hell hole; some of the older kids say that The Ark used to be a happy place and once a year it used to come down to visit us, giving us gifts and affection, but then one day it changed and now..." She whimpered as the elevator stopped and opened to a dark tunnel with a foul smell coming from the far end of it.

"What's down there?" He grimaced at the disgusting smell.

She didn't say anything as she walked down the hall. Sonic hesitated for a moment before rushing to catch up to his new friend; but when they reached the end he wish he hadn't. They were standing in a white room so cold Sonic could see his breath. But that's not what shook him to his little bones. It was the dozens of **bodies** lying on tables and wrapped up in crates.

The bodies were all of children aged from 2-17, some were covered but a few Sonic could see clear as day.

Everything seemed to fade in and out as he stared at the cold bodies before him, seemingly staring into his soul. He didn't register anything. Not the coldness on his fur, not the tears building up in his eyes, not Sally screaming as she was dragged away, not the strong arms wrapping around his middle, not the hand covering his eyes.

Not nothing...

* * *

Shadow sighed heavily as he stared at Sonic's back. Ever since he'd brought the boy home, the nine year old hadn't said a word to anyone. The blue hedgehog seemed to be in a catatonic state. He was just in his bed, curled up into a ball, back towards the door. Shadow knew he'd fucked up. He should of told him about what was downstairs but he didn't think he was ready.

But it was too late now.

Sonic knew some of the truth; but he wouldn't let the ebony hedgehog explain. He was giving his guardian the strong silent treatment. Shadow glared as he stepped towards his charge. He placed a gentle hand on his shoulders.

"Sonic, please just let me-"

Shadow cried out when Sonic suddenly kicked him in the muzzle.

 **"DON'T TOUCH ME!"** He snarled, glaring daggers and hell at the elder.

"Sonic please, you don't understand." He said, clutching his bloody nose.

 **"NO! YOU LIED TO ME MY WHOLE LIFE! YOU SAID THERE WAS NOTHING DOWNSTAIRS! YOU'RE MURDERING CHILDREN!"**

"It's nothing like that!"

 **"JUST SHUT UP AND LEAVE ME ALONE, YOU MONSTER!"** He screamed as he went under the covers and started sobbing.

Shadow's heart ached at the sound of Sonic's distressed cries. He hated seeing the boy cry, but there was nothing he could do about it; he was the one to blame. He sighed and left the bedroom. He went into the bathroom and cleaned off the blood but he knew he needed to get some ice on his swelling nose, and quick.

He gave Sonic's door a quick glance, before stepping outside.

But the second he stepped out into the hallway he legs suddenly gave out. He slumped against the door and he felt a very foreign sensation building up inside him. Then he did something he hadn't done in years.

He cried...


	10. Determination

**Chapter 9: Determination**

Sonic breathed fire and brimstone as he sat at his little desk, scribbling something down on a piece of paper. He had felt a little guilty for kicking Shadow in the face, but he hated the ebony hedgehog for all the lies and his actions against the children in the prison. He wanted to help them. He wanted to get them all out of there and go to a better life with them.

He'd miss Rouge and the others.

But they were just as guilty as Shadow was. They were keeping those innocent children locked away below his feet. Sally said 'The Dame' was the one responsible. He'd heard Shadow and the other's mention her when they thought he wasn't paying attention. He knew the master of The Ark rested upstairs, high above everyone else.

He had to go confront her.

She was responsible for all the pain and suffering the children were enduring. She needed to understand the misery she was causing. After finishing his letter, he got dressed in a black shirt, dark navy blue pants and packed a few things in a rucksack such as: a pocket knife, spare clothes, a blanket and some left over food.

He slowly poked his head out the door and listened carefully.

He couldn't see or hear Shadow anywhere in their home. He hadn't come back yet. Before he left, Sonic snuck into Shadow's room, placed the letter on the bed, searched through his cabinets until he found the torch Sally had given him years ago. He gave his home one last look before running back to the garbage shoot...

* * *

Shadow sighed as Rouge applied a cold pack of frozen peas to his nose. He was embarrassed when the bat stepped out of her quarters and found him in tears in the hall. But she didn't tease him, instead she pulled him into her home so she could treat his injuries. She had been surprised when he said Sonic had done this to him, but she knew why he'd done it.

"Little Blue sure can kick, right honey?" She smiled weakly, but he didn't say anything. She sighed as she moved in front of him.

"Shadow, you knew this would happen, we told you to tell him as soon as possible." She explained.

"And I told you he wasn't ready, and you know what?! I was right!" He snarled as he stood up.

"Shadow wait!" She exclaimed as she blocked him from the door. "Just give him time, he's known you since he was baby, he loves and trusts you."

"He did once." He muttered in defeat before pushing passed her and slamming the door as he left.

He stepped into his home and walked up to Sonic's door, but froze. Rouge was right, he needed to give the boy some time. With a heavy sigh, he walked away from the door and went into the bathroom. After washing his sore face he went into his room for some much needed sleep. But when he walked over to his bed, he frowned when he saw a piece of paper.

He frowned in confusion as he picked up the paper and examine it.

But his frown turned into a look of horror when he saw what it said. He rushed to Sonic's room and his heart froze when he saw it was empty, as well as the closet. He ran to Rouge's room and started pounding on the door.

"What's wrong Shadow?!" She cried when she swung the door open.

"Read this!" He shouted and pushed the letter to her.

 _ **Dear Shadow**_

 _ **For all my life you've been there, protecting and loving me; and I loved you. I used to look up to you like a hero, someone who was strong and kind. You and the others were always there for me, taking care for me; my family. But that was before I found that you and the others were really like.**_

 _ **You're nothing but a bunch of monsters?!**_

 _ **You've been locking up and abusing innocent children right under my nose while I've been playing and having a great time!**_ _ **How could you lie to me?!**_ _ **I hope I never see you again!**_

"Oh my God." Rouge gasped as she finished reading the letter Sonic left. "Where is he?!"

"I don't know?! I was hoping you knew!"

"How would I know?!" She glared. "Radio Knux and the girls, tell them to keep their eyes and ears open for him!"

Shadow quickly grabbed his walkie-talkie and started calling around their colleagues. Rouge sighed, hoping they could find him before anymore damage could be done...

* * *

Sonic took deep breaths as he stepped into the room where Sally and the other kids slept. He wanted to make sure the red hair chipmunk was alright before he went to confront The Dame. He frowned in confusion when he saw her bed was empty.

"W-Who are you?" A fearful voice asked from the bed next to Sally's. He looked over and a child looking over at him.

"I'm Sonic, who're you?" He asked in a quiet voice as to help ease the other.

"Rotor, Sally talked about you." He replied as he slowly stepped into the light. He was an eleven year old walrus. He had violet fur with darker toes and fingers, peach skin on his front torso and muzzle, large tusks and green eyes. He was chubby and wore a yellow rags.

"Where's Sally?"

"She's being punished."

"P-Punished?"

"Yeah, if they find you out your room after bedtime they lock you away until you've learnt your lesson."

"Where is she now?" Sonic asked fearfully. Rotor stared at him for a moment before slowly reaching under his bunk and pulled out five pieces of old, wrinkled paper.

"These are maps we found of this place, we're near the bottom of the ship and there's an exit at the top." He explained as he handed the maps to the blue hedgehog. "Some of the older kids used to say there's a boat at the exit, a way back to the mainland."

"Thanks." Sonic said as he placed the maps in his bag. "I promise I'll be back and we'll all be free." He said before leaving Rotor and the other children behind...

* * *

Sonic groaned as he hit another dead end. He was certain that the maps Rotor had given him were out of date. But since he didn't know his way around the prison, he had no chance but to trust the map. He sighed as he came into a large room full of rats. His stomach ached with hunger as he sat down on the ground and pulled out a piece of bread.

As he munched down, he saw Patch running over to him.

"Patch!" He smiled as he quickly packed up his stuff and started run after the black and white rat. His pet rat led him down the room, through the vents and into darkness.

"Patch?" He called out as he reached for his torch.

Suddenly he screamed when a cage suddenly trapped him and a chain lifted him up. After getting over the shock, he quickly pulled out his torch and looked around. He gasped when he saw a few more children of all ages hanging in cages all around him.

"Sally!" He exclaimed when he saw the chipmunk in the cage a few feet away. She stirred a little bit but remained still. Sonic looked around but couldn't find a way out of the cage.

He was trapped...


	11. Cold Light

_**Pamitydesu01:** Thank you for reviewing and don't worry about not reviewing the other chapter, I just hope you enjoy this chapter._

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Cold Light**

Sonic grunted and shivered as he shook the cold iron bars of his small cage. He was freezing cold, still hungry and, even though he'd never admit it, he was scared stiff. Normally he'd scold himself for thinking that but now he knew who Shadow was and what he does. Sonic quickly reached into his rucksack and pulled out a paper clip.

He started picking at the lock as he glanced over at Sally and saw she was starting to wake up.

"Sal!" He whispered.

"Sonic? She mumbled as the fog cleared from her mind. "W-What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you; I went to your room but you weren't there, then this Rotor kid gave me some maps when I told him I'm going to confront The Dame."

"You what?!"

"Sal, she's the one responsible for this, she needs to stop!"

"But Sonic, she's-"

Suddenly the door about two hundred feet below them screeched open, allowing a beam of light to leak into the cold, dark prison. Sally and the few other children whimpered and curled up as Knuckles and Shadow stepped into the room. It must of been too dark for them to see the blue hedgehog held up in the cage.

"Are you sure about this?" The echidna asked as he walked over to one of the many levers.

"Yes." Shadow replied coldly.

Knuckles sighed and pulled down one of the levers. Sally screamed when her cage was suddenly dropped down until it almost touching the ground. When the adrenaline faded, she almost screamed again when she saw Shadow's glowing red eyes glaring down at her.

"Where is he?" He snarled.

"W-Who?"

"Where is Sonic!?" He shouted as he grabbed the cage, causing her to cry out.

"Shadow! Enough!" Knuckles exclaimed as he pulled the ebony hedgehog away from the crying chipmunk.

"No! Sonic's run around this place alone! He'll be cold and hungry and scared! I need to find him!"

"I know that but shouting and screaming at a child isn't going to help!" Knuckles shouted.

Shadow was panting and gasping for air as if he had just ran a marathon. The ebony hedgehog let out a threatening growl before storming out the room, punching the metal wall as he went. Knuckles sighed before he pulled the lever and Sally gasped when her cage rose back up before he left as well.

"Are you OK?" Sonic asked once it was silent.

She just nodded her head, too shaken up to speak. Sonic quickly returned to picking the lock until he heard a click and the door swung open. He started to swing the small cage until he built up enough momentum and jumped over to Sally's cage. She gasped when her cage lurched forward as he grabbed onto the bars.

"Hang on Sal, I'll get you out." He said and moved to the lock.

"No!" She cried, much to his shock. "I'm already in enough trouble, you need to get out of here! I'll be alright." She smiled weakly. Sonic wanted to protest, but he knew there was no point arguing with her. He quickly reached into his rucksack and pulled out a small lighter.

"Shadow and Knuckles' have a bunch of these things, I know it's not much but it'll give you warmth and light." He smiled as he pushed the lighter through the bars and into her hand.

"T-Thank you." She smiled, close to tears.

He smiled back as he started looking around for an exit. It was too far for him to jump and there was no way for him to climb down. He looked up and saw some large pipes close to the roof almost next to some vents. He gave Sally one last smirked before climbing up the chain. He then crawled across the pipes and into the nearest vent.

Once he was safe in the vent, he pulled out the maps.

He groaned when he saw that to get to The Dame's home he'd have to go through the kitchens. He could just take the elevator to get upstairs, but he knew that if he didn't want to be found he'd have to be sneaky. He started crawling through the vents when he came into a room full of giant bags and crates sat in some kind of rail line.

He realised he was in the room full of the freshly caught fish.

He knew these crates went up to the kitchen. Groaning, he slowly climbed into the crates full of wrapped fish and made sure that the bags covered his body so no one could see him. He frozen when he heard someone enter the room. He took a quick peek through one of the cracks of the crates and saw Blaze walking around, checking the crates.

Thankfully she didn't check them all.

As she left she pressed a button on the wall and the crates started moving along the tracks. Heading straight to the kitchens...


	12. Hell's Kitchen

**Chapter 11: Hell's Kitchen**

When Sonic was sure the coast was clear, he climbs out of the crate that was his hiding place and saw he was in a supply closet. he examined the area and saw a huge door. He entered and could here Espio and Charmy in the other part of the kitchen. He definitely didn't want them to see him. He slowly sneak out of the kitchen and hid under the tables.

He could tell they was to busy cooking to noticed him.

Sonic pulled out the map and held in a groan when he saw he had to go through the freezer on the other side of the kitchen, which he knew was locked. He knew there was a key to in in their living quarters and knew he could just take the elevator but he didn't want to get their attention. Looking back a the map, he saw there was a vent that led into their bathroom.

Once he was sure Espio and Charmy were gone, he climbed up some shelves and saw the vent.

After crawling through the vent and running to their bedroom. It had three beds, for all three chefs and a large closet that almost touch the cracked ceiling of the bedroom. Sonic dashed over to the desk and opened the top draw. Inside he found dozens of keys. He rummaged through the cold metal until he found exactly what he was looking for.

Suddenly he heard the elevator stop and someone walking towards him.

He gasped before grabbing the key, shutting the draw and diving under the bed seconds before Vector stepped in. He opened the key draw and started looking for the key to the freezer. When he couldn't find it he just assumed Espio and Charmy took it. He left and Sonic remained frozen until he heard the elevator start up again.

He breathed a sigh of relief before securing the key in his bag and sneaking back to the vent.

He climbed down and hid under the table before he felt his muscles freeze. He could hear Shadow talking to Espio and Charmy in the other room, still looking for the blue hedgehog. As quietly as his shaking limbs could go, he crept over the the large, metal freezer door. Putting the key in and turning it, he cringed when a soft click echoed through the kitchen.

The talking stopped.

As soon as the door was open enough, Sonic dashed through a freezer, out into the hall on the other side and dove into the elevator seconds before Shadow skated into the hallway. Crimson met emerald before the elevator took the boy upstairs. The second the elevator stopped, he ran out and hid into a large cabinet, leaving the door open a crack.

Moments later Shadow came running in, frantically looking around for his ward.

"Whoa Shadow! Where's the fire?" Vector laughed as he carried a plate full of freshly cooked food onto a trolley.

"Has Sonic been in here?!" He panted as if he had just ran a marathon.

"No, why?" He asked as he pulled the trolley into another elevator with six others, all full of delicious food for upstairs.

"I just saw him jump into that elevator and it only comes to this floor!"

"Calm down, he can't of gone far, let's a have look around." Vector reassured as he led Shadow out so he could help him search.

Once he was sure they were a gone distance away from him. Sonic pulled out the map and saw he could get to The Dame a lot faster if he took the elevator full of food. Careful not to disturb anything, the blue hedgehog crawled in between the trolleys and curled up in the far corner, hidden by the hordes of food and trolleys.

Minutes later, Vector returned.

Sonic froze and held his breath as the giant chef continued with his duties before pressing the button and elevator began to rise up. Once it was quiet and dark, Sonic almost cried in relief as he slumped against the wall, hoping to get some rest...


	13. Confrontation

**Chapter 12: Confrontation**

As the silent elevator came to a stop Sonic froze when he saw Rouge and Blaze pull a trolley each down the long hall. As soon as they were gone, Sonic stepped out and was in awe. Unlike the dull, cold, metal walls he had seen growing up downstairs there were covered in soft, comforting purple wallpaper and a warm black rug rested on the floor.

As he walked down the pretty hall he came to an opening.

Looking down he saw a large opening that led out into the outside world. He hear the rolling waves and smell the salty ocean and he could see not only the bright morning sunlight pouring in, but hundreds of Mobians he'd never seen before walking into The Ark with suitcases. As they walked up the shaky wooden walkway in the Ark, there was a large white spotlight shining from a balcony just above the entrance, with a figure watching them.

That's when Sonic saw her; The Dame.

He couldn't see any part of her face, just the tuff of blonde hair and her quills. As the guests stepped into the light, they either bowed or curtsy before walking deeper into The Ark. Before she could see him, Sonic quickly made his way down the narrow hall until his found himself in a completely foreign area of The Ark.

He found himself in a spa resort/restaurant part of the Ark.

This is where the guests from the mainland arrive, where they stalked up the creaking boards and into the gaping Ark. This was where they come to sit and sweat, where they gorge and purge their fears and pain away; again, and again, and again. Sonic looked down and saw floors and floors of guests walking around around.

They were being served the delicious foods Vector and the others had cooked and given spa treatments by these strange, humanoid figures wearing masks.

It was like they were made out of shadows. Sonic looked closer and saw the faintest glimpse of black, sparkling mist coming off the guests and rising up to the floors above. He could see Rouge, Amy and Blaze all dressed up in their best clothes by the entrance and greeting the guests with a smile. As Rouge welcomed them with a smile, Amy took their bags and Blaze handed them a room key.

They didn't even twitch in his direction as he ran down the hall.

Then he froze to his core. He saw her, The Dame, go into the elevator that went up to her own private quarters. Sonic looked around and then he followed after her...

* * *

The elevator took him to The Dame's quarters and slowed. He couldn't shake the feeling he'd been there before. As he walked up the grand staircase he gazed up at the large portrait of The Dame and what he assumed to be her husband. He stared at that picture for what felt like a lifetime as there was a numb thump in the back of his skull.

Suddenly a faint humming sound broke the long silence.

It was quiet, gentle. It was a type a lullaby. It was coming from a small room upstairs. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he slowly tip toed up the carpeted stairs to the second floor and to the far room on the left. The closer to the room he got, the louder the humming got. He slowly pushed the door open and was grateful that it didn't make a sound.

He kept to the shadows as he snuck into the room.

It looked like a nursery. The only light in the room was from a dim lantern, but he could see fine. The baby blue walls were faded from age and poor maintenance, the dusty white crib was still set up on the opposite wall, as if it was waiting for it's occupant to return any moment. But that's when he saw her.

The Dame, sat in an rocking chair that silently creaked against the floor.

He looked at her and saw she was looking down at an old picture frame as she hummed the gentle tone. Sonic wanted to get a better look at her unmasked face and the picture she was looking at. He took a single step closer, and then froze. The second his foot touched the bare floorboards of the abandoned room, it let out a loud, echoing screech shattered the atmosphere.

He slowly looked up and almost screamed at what he saw.

The Dame had whipped around to look directly into his eyes. Into his very soul. Her glowing blue eyes were opened widener than he knew was physically possible. She was looking at him as if she had seen a ghost. She slowly stood and started walking towards him, silently gliding across the floor. The moment he realised she was doing, he pulled out his flashlight and shined it right in her face.

In seconds he got from momentarily blinding her allowed him to make a dash to the elevator.

He should of known this idea was stupid. He just wanted to find Shadow and tell him how sorry he was, he wanted to sleep in his bed, have a bath, hug his father-figure and just forget about this whole adventure. Just before he made it into the elevator, his only escape, however, he cried out when he was suddenly ripped off the ground by a powerful, unseen force.

He looked around and saw that a dark purple misty aura surrounded him.

The Dame then emerged from the shadowed hallway, her mask now on. Sonic was now shaking and sobbing as tears streamed down his face. He just wanted all of this to stop. As she stepped closer to the boy, he cried in pain as a pain suddenly burst from his chest with every beat of his frightened heart. The pain only got worse the closer she got to him.

He was silently begging for it all to stop as he continued to struggle to get out of her invisible grip.

She then reached out one of her gloved hands to touch the blue hedgehog's head. Suddenly a stunning white light erupted from his body. The last thing he registered was The Dame's screams of pain before everything went dark...


	14. The Truth

**Chapter 13: The Truth**

Shadow ran.

He ran as fast as his skates could allow. He ran though the guest lounge, almost running a few over in the process, and into the elevator that led to The Dame's quarters. As the elevator made it's journey, he took deep breaths to regain his composure. He was happy, but also scared. Happy because Sonic had finally been found, but scared because it was The Dame who'd found him in her home.

He knew she was going to have his ass for this.

But at that moment he didn't care. All he cared about was getting there and making sure Sonic was alright. As he stepped into her bedroom, he almost passed out with relief when he saw the little one fast asleep in her bed. The Dame was sat on the other side of the giant bed, gently running her hand through his blue quills.

There were no words spoken.

The didn't even speak to each other. Instead, she simple stood off the bed and allowed Shadow to scoop the child up and carry him out her room bridal style.

"His powers have awoken." She suddenly said right before he stepped out the door.

He didn't even flinch as he continued walking. But inside, he was crying...

* * *

When Sonic woke up his skull felt like Knuckles had used it as a punching bag and then Rouge had rented it out as a disco ball. He opened his eyes and frowned when he saw that he was in Shadow's bed. Just then everything came back to him in one big hit, it almost made him pass out again. He started to hyperventilate as he tried to get his head over what had happened.

Seconds later, Shadow burst into the room.

Before Sonic had a chance to properly register what had happened, Shadow had ran over to him and was crushing him in a fierce death hug that would make Amy proud. He frowned when he felt the wetness of Shadow's tears on his shoulder. Before he could say anything, Shadow pulled away and looked him dead in the eyes.

 **"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED I'VE BEEN?! I'VE BEEN TEARING THIS FUCKING SHIP APART LOOKING FOR YOU! WHY?! WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU DO SOMETHING SO STUPID AND SELFISH LIKE THIS?!"** He screamed in the boy's face.

Seconds later, Sonic burst into tears as he hung his head in shame.

Shadow's rage vanished in that moment and he pulled his ward into a protective and loving embrace as they hugged and cried together...

* * *

It took almost two hours for them to run out a tears to cry. Now they were just sat in each others' arms as they snuggled into Shadow's bed.

"Shadow?" Sonic suddenly asked. "What's wrong with me?"

"What do you mean?"

"When I got caught by... that lady... I suddenly blasted her with something and then I passed out, what was that stuff?"

"That's just a part of growing up." He sighed, but when he met Sonic's eye he sighed. "Alright Sonic, do you want to know the truth?"

"What truth?"

"Well Sonic, the truth is... re-remember a while back when you asked me if I was your real dad?"

"Yeah you told me you wasn't, but that you loved me more than anything." He frowned, not sure where this was going.

"Well it's about that; I've wanted to tell you for so long, but I couldn't find the words nor the right to tell you." He sighed. "The reason you never could leave this level without my supervision or unless I told you specific places to explore in is because of your mother."

"My... mother?"

"She's the head of operations on this ship, The Dame." He said and Sonic's eyes widened in horror.

"B-But she's evil!"

"Let me finish, when you were born she and your father loved you very much, you were their whole world; but then an evil man attacked the Ark, killing your father and almost killing everyone else on board. The Dame managed to save you and asked me to raise you, until your powers awakened."

"Is that what that light was?"

"Yes Sonic, your growing up." He chuckled.

"Were you scared?" To take care of me?"

"I was at first, yes, you were a little shit, but later on in the years I got the hang of it pretty fast, to the point were I didn't want to see you go, you ended up being the one thing I cared about in this world son, and nothing in my mind would ever change that."

Sonic gave him a teary smile as he embraced his father figure and fell asleep.

Shadow smiled as he too began to dose off, but a nagging feeling in his gut as telling him that things could only go from bad to worse...


	15. The End

**Chapter 14: The End**

Shadow sighed as he walked up the stairs to The Dame's office. He knew she was going to be pissed, especially since he'd kept her waiting for almost a month. He knew he should of come sooner, but he wanted to help Sonic through this hard time in his life. The boy had lots of questions and it was big shock for anyone, let alone a kid of nine.

Thankfully things seemed to be slowly returning to normal, even if it was still a bit awkward around them.

But another reason why he'd put this off was because he was scared. Scared because he didn't know what she was going to do or say to him or Sonic. All he knew was the last time he'd seen her, she'd been absolutely furious with him and he couldn't blame her. As he stepped into her office, he saw her waiting patiently for him.

She gestured for him to take a seat, which he did, seemingly unfazed.

"What is it?" He asked her, skipping the pleasantries.

"You know what I want Shadow." She snapped. "I want to know why you let my child up here?! I want to know how he'd managed to slip passed you and everyone else here when you know how dangerous it is for him?!"

"Bernie, you won't know this, but Sonic's an adventurous and brave kid." Shadow glared. "And when he found out what was going on downstairs, with the other children, he was so angry and felt so bad for them that he wanted to confront you about it, to try and make you see sense! And he's right, if you'd even bother to look at those children you'd see they'd be better on the streets than in your care!"

"Excuse me?!" She snarled as she stood up. "You know very well that ever since... that day, that I've been struggling to keep this place safe and running so I'm sorry if I don't have time to visit a bunch of children!"

"That's not true and you know it! The only reason you don't bother to see those kids is because you feel guilty because you feel like you've abandoned your son and you can't stand to see those other children happy! You're just venting your frustrations of being a useless mother upon them!"

Seconds later, Shadow found himself being slammed into the wall by her magic.

He looked up and his heart softened when he saw heavy tears dripping from under her mask. he sighed as he stood up and say back in his seat. After a few moments of awkward silence before she sighed as well.

"You've done your job." She said and he frowned. "You just had to watch Sonic until he's powers finally emerged and he could be moved to the mainland for proper training, you did that, now it's my turn to do my end of the bargain." She finished.

"He's staying with me." He growled. "I can train him."

"He is going to the mainland." She argued. "If **he** finds him it will be the end of everything, not just The Ark." She said and tried to leave, but Shadow blocked her path.

"He can do what he wants with me, as long as Sonic is safe I don't care what happens to me." He told her, getting ready to head back to his and Sonic's room.

"You honestly think he's is like your son?" She scoffed.

"More than you do." He snapped and she started breathing fire and brimstone.

"You've been living in this dilution that you and Sonic are this happy little family? Well that's a dream you need to end right now Shadow, and do you know why? He will kill you, and not just at the instants, he will make Sonic watch as the life leaves your body and then what, hm? You will be dead while he can do with Sonic as he pleases!" She exclaimed and Shadow felt his body grow cold. "You need to realize what's best for the Sonic."

Shadow knew that in away she was right, what good was he to Sonic if he was dead?

How could he protect him if he's in the void of death, but how safe will he be on the mainland?

"Bernie?"

"Yes?"

"You and I both know what the mainland is like." He glared. "What happened to me out there? If I do this, you better make sure that never, and I mean NEVER, happens to Sonic!"

"He is my son, I want him safe just as much as you do, I will make sure my connections are very trustworthy, they'll protect him with their lives, they know what's at stake." She told him in a soft tone. "But we need to hurry, this is the only time we can get him out of here safely."...

* * *

Shadow hated all of this. He hated how heavy his entire body felt as he walked back to their living quarters, he hated the dry feeling in his throat, he hated the looks of sorrow and distressed all the others had given him when he had told them what The Dame had told him, but what he hated most was what he was about to do.

He even waited right outside Sonic's door for an hour, praying that the Gods would make all this go away.

But he knew that wasn't going to happen. He stepped inside. He walked over to the bed and saw Sonic curled up, having a nice dream and occasionally mumbled something about chilidogs and fairies. He smiled before it dropped and he got to the task at hand. He pulled out a large suitcase, bigger than Sonic, and started filling it up with all the boy's personal items and clothes.

Soon there was nothing left that belonged with Sonic

Once he was sure he'd gotten everything, Shadow turned back to the bed and, with a mass of reluctances, he tried to wake the blue hedgehog up.

"Shads?" He muttered as he sat up, rubbing his green orbs. "What's wrong? I thought you wanted me to go to bed?" He yawned.

"I did but there..." He stumbled, suddenly finding it hard to breath. "There's something I need to tell you but we need to get you somewhere safe." He said as he picked the suitcase up.

Sonic climbed out of bed and took hold of Shadow's other hand, With a heavy feeling in Shadow's chest, they started to walk out of the room and upstairs to the lifeboats.

"What's going on Shadow?"

"Sonic, remember when I sat you down a month ago and told you the truth?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, you see, you're going away for a little while to learn how to control your new powers so you don't hurt yourself or others, but don't worry, it'll only be for a little while and you'll be back before you know it." He explained as calmly as he could.

After nearly twenty minutes of silence, they walked up the final set of stairs and up to the surface, the top of The Ark.

All it was was as small surface of artificial rocks around the width of three house, which paled greatly in comparison with size of the rest of the ship under the water, with only a door that led inside and three lifeboats rested nearby. The waves were mostly flat and the setting sun had painted the sky in a beautiful show of purples, reds, yellows and oranges.

Even Shadow could admit it was a beautiful thing to see.

What Shadow didn't expect to see at all was everyone there, waiting for them to see them off. Knuckles and Espio were staying silent and strong, but Vector, Charmy and Amy were openly sobbing; Blaze and Rouge also had tears in their eyes but at least they were holding it together.

"Let me untie the life boat and I'll set off with him." Knuckles said to the ebony hedgehog in a firm tone, but Shadow could tell in his eyes that he was hurting just like the rest of them.

"Do I have to go?" Sonic asked as the girls smothered him with tears and kisses.

"I'm afraid so sweet heart, its getting to dangerous for you here." Rouge sniffed, her mascara running down her cheeks and staining her white fur.

"If that meany found you he will do whatever it takes to hurt you." Amy added as she near enough crushed him in a hug.

"But don't worry, when you do come back, you'll be a strong warrior like Shadow." Blaze smiled softly, she too fighting the tears.

Shadow quickly picked Sonic up to put him in the lifeboat and tried speak without the knot making me start to tear up.

"You may have to go, b-but know that I love you so much Sonic." He admitted; screw his pride, screw all the looks the other were giving him, what mattered was Sonic.

"I don't want to go." He started to cry, finally catching up to what was really going on. "I want to stay here with you!" He sobbed as he wrapped his arms around his guardian as his cries got louder and louder. Shadow lifted his head up and wiped the tears from his emerald eyes as he tried to comfort him.

"I promise that one day we will no longer need to worry about any of this, you'll finish your training and we both can be a family again."

"Promise?" He sniffed.

"I promise" He smiled as he gave him one last hug and handed him to Knuckles.

He watched the boat's ores splash as they left The Ark. He stood there until they were too far for him to see or hear. Once they were gone, he headed back to his closed the door. It took awhile before he felt the small warm tears trickle from his crimson orbs and soon rolled down his tanned cheeks, until he finally allowed himself to break down and cry.

"S-Sonic, please... come back someday."...


	16. Lonely Rage

**Chapter 15: Lonely Rage**

It was quiet without Sonic around, Shadow missed the days he would wake him up so they could play. He missed the times he rocked him to sleep, and he was missing the days he was not so alone. It had only been a few months since he left The Ark and even though the others missed him, he was the one who was in pain everyday.

When Sonic had left it felt like a part of him died.

It was easy to put on his usual, stoic figure during the day when someone was around, but at night, while the others slept, the ebony hedgehog was no longer blessed with the void of sleep as he once was able to. Only the warm tears that flowed freely gave him the key to his sleep now. As he drifted to sleep there was a knock on his door.

"Shadow?" Rouge spoke.

"Are you ok? We don't see you as much lately" Amy's voice added.

"Just leave me alone." He hissed. "Tell the others the same, I know they're out there too."

He heard the door open and large heavy footsteps came towards his room and he soon was lifted from his bed.

"What gives you the right to say that to us? Huh?!" Knuckles yelled. "You're just going to sit down here and not speak to us? It's been 3 months and you won't even look our way anymore."

"You don't like being alone do you?" He glared.

"What?".

"You don't like it when people come into your life then just leave you, right?" He asked and the echidna dropped him to the floor. "That's why I pushed you all away so quickly the first time we met, I didn't want to get attached to someone who might just stabbed me in the back; but I couldn't help getting attached to him, and now I'm sitting there feeling that I should have just kept myself locked away and remained unfeeling and cold, that way I wouldn't need to feel something I thought I had taken away from me."

It was silent and he suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around him.

"If your hurting Shadow, you can tell us, we miss him to." Amy comforted. He felt the arms loosen and the three of them walked away and closed the door, leaving him in darkness...

* * *

Week's went by as if Shadow's world slowed down to a snail's pace everything second felt like a eternity. He missed Sonic. He missed his little boy, and it made him sick that The Dame, or anyone else, could sleep so soundly. While he sit in his empty home, wallowing in his grief because he had to give up Sonic, just because The Dame said so.

Saying that name made his blood boil with hatred.

"Shadow?" He heard Blaze say as she entered his living quarters. He sat up from the couch to look at her, his breath laced with vodka.

"What do you want?" He slurred.

"I overheard the others say how different you've been since... well..."

"Stop right there." He snarled. "You don't know how painful it was to put Sonic on that boat, just get out of here, I don't want to hear anything you've got to say unless you plan on telling me how he's doing!" He shouted and she flinched, something he'd never seen the cat do.

"S-Shadow, there's something I have been meaning to tell you." She gulped. "He's not there anymore."

"...What?"

"According to the people who were training him, he ran off three nights after Knuckles dropped him off, I know it sounds bad bu-"

A large clash was heard as an enraged Shadow threw one of the many alcohol bottles in the direction of the purple cat, as well the couch after that, and then some shelves.

"You took him there seven months ago!" He yelled. "Your telling me this now! He could be dead by now!"

"W-We thought you would go into a frenzy if we told you then."

"You thought wrong! You don't know what it's like out there, you took him away from me, you took my son away from me!"

"He's not your son!"

Before Shadow knew it, he felt his hands over Blaze's shoulders as he pinned her to the wall. As he started to choke her, she looked him dead in the glowing red eyes.

"Your... s-still in that s-silly fantasy? He's was never or ever will your son."

"I was more of a father to him then his real family ever was!" He shouted as he threw her into a nearby wall.

"You think having to let go of someone you cared for is bad, try seeing that person everyday knowing that they never, remember you! They just forgot, they forgot everything and your just there with the memories that was left of someone who saw you as a friend!"

"What?"

"Before I lived here, I lived with my grandmother." She sighed. "She was the sweetest lady I'd every know, but then, when I was around 12, she developed dementia and before I knew it she didn't know who I was, she was stuck in the past. It became so bad that she threw me out onto the streets, convinced I was a war spy coming to assassinate her." She sniffed. "It never gets easier, the pain that you endure day by day."

"I didn't know" He sighed. "Please, tell me there's a way to find him, I need to know if he's alright."...


	17. Drunken Dreams

**Chapter 16: Drunken Dreams**

Shadow growled as he gulped down another bottle of vodka. It had been a year since Sonic had disappeared from the training house and so far, the only comfort Shadow could find was with his booze.

When he drank everything seemed to fade away and for moment he felt at peace.

It may only be for a moment, but he felt a peace. But then the memories returned. Of his time before he arrived at the Ark. Of his own, personal hell on Earth...

* * *

 _He always wondered how a blind man know about the sea. They can't see it, but they know more than those who can see it. They always pay attention to the slow rocking motions of calm waves, the calming flow of the water that passed through their fingers, and the soft sweet smelling breeze of the sea air as it passed by._

 _Shadow could see the ocean and he could tell it was inviting._

 _He hadn't seen something so pretty in years, not since he had to run._ _He had been running for so long. He just wanted it all to end. It seemed that he'd have that opportunity. The first time he ever discovered the beauty ocean, he was going to his new home; The Ark. Just like the sea, he could not feast his crimson eyes on something so grand as the ship._

 _He was on a row boat, paddling up to the gaping mouth of The Ark._

 _As soon as his boat was inside, the opening snapped shut and the ocean water drained._ _This was it, a brand new chapter in his life. He stepped out and examined his new home. It was cold, metal and damp. Seemed perfect for a monster like himself. He hoped it would help the pain to end. But the day he brought his luggage on board was only the beginning._

 _"So, you made made it." A voice suddenly said._ _He turned around and saw The Dame waiting patiently._

 _"Do forgive me, madam." He bowed respectfully. "It was my fault due to my belongings."_

 _"No need to bow, I accept your apologies." She spoke in a much kinder tone. "However if I may ask why did you bring so much luggage?"_

 _"Well madam, my home was a place of pure chaos and despair; due to the chaos and pain outside of these waters, I became a mere collector of the lost and forgotten items of the past."_

 _"A collector you say?"_

 _"Yes, when you're a monster such as myself, you tend enjoy the silence and hobbies you make for yourself." He sighed. "That is why I took up your offer to be apart of The Ark, I will take and complete any job you wish to assign me, all I wish is for a place for myself."_

 _"Very well." She spoke softly. "I may have a place for you but if it ends up being too difficult for you, please tell me."_

 _"I will madam."_

 _"What's your name?"_

 _"Shadow."_

 _"Very well Shadow, I will assign you as the janitor and the enforcer in the lower parts of the vessel. There you can have access to our spare rooms to place yourself if you wish?"_

 _"T-thank you madam, I am truly honored." He replied._

 _"Do you really think this is a good idea?" A voice suddenly said._

 _Shadow turned to his left and saw an echidna, a crocodile, a chameleon and a cat watching them._

 _"Do you really think this guy can down there?!" The red echidna glared._

 _"I see the potential in him for this task." She replied calmly. "After all I gave all of you a chance and you are now the most talented and hard working people I ever had; Shadow, my husband will take you down and explain the job you will be assigned to." She said before walking away..._

* * *

 _Bags in hand, the Dame's husband, Jules, walked Shadow deeper into The Ark. Jules was a blue hedgehog with brown eyes, a fancy tux and a tuff of light brown hair. Feeling the pull of the elevators taking him deeper into the ship, Shadow was fascinated to think how large The Ark really was._

 _"We're here" Jules said as he led Shadow into what would imagine be his new home. "There's not much in here now but by tomorrow we can have new furniture brought for you" He spoke. "Knuckles will bring the rest of your bags down by tonight as well as the chefs bringing you a meal, you must be hungry after your trip."_

 _"I am yes." He replied._

 _The ebony hedgehog began to look around the room and saw that he at least had a bed to sleep on until tomorrow._

 _"Before I leave, I must let you know what you will be doing." He said. "For starters, you will be in charge of cleaning the lower sections of the maw as well as the guest chambers before and after the guests have arrived, that will only be once a year however, so that won't be an everyday bother; second, you're in charge of making sure the children downstairs do not escape the lower levels, my wife would be furious if you make that mistake."_

 _"Why is that?"_

 _"The children down there, as you know, are there so we can keep them safe from him, as long as their happy then The Dame's happy and the more happy The Dame is the longer The Ark will remain moving, so whatever must be done, the children must stay down here until they are ready to be sent back to the mainland."_

 _"What will The Dame do if I fail to keep them down here?"_

 _"Nothing life threatening, so don't worry, all we ask is you keep them in these lower levels until it is time for them to be sent back." He had and before he could say anything more, they turned to a creak from the door._

 _"Sir, I've brought the new guys bags down as ya asked." Said the red echidna._

 _"Thank you Knuckles, and with that I must be off, I hope you find The Ark to your liking?" He smiled to Shadow before walking away, leaving Shadow alone with his thoats. But the peaceful sentence was suddenly shattered when Knuckles suddenly let out a deep laugh._

 _"What's so funny?" He asked him with a withereing scowl._

 _"Oh it's just going to fun around here soon now that ya're here." He replied, still laughing._

 _"Oh yeah, and why's that?"_

 _"Ya don't know? Oh wait, that's right, ya couldn't know unless someone told ya." He said._

 _"You're not making any sense."_

 _"Oh trust me, ya'll know soon enough." He laughed before walking away..._


	18. Getting Adjusted

**Chapter 17: Getting Adjusted**

 _Shadow's first night on The Ark was interesting to him to say the least. Moments after Knuckles had left one of the chefs brought down a meal for him and left. Since it was late in the morning, Shadow figured that he might as well take his plate up to the kitchen himself since none of the chefs came down to collect it._

 _It was a good excuse for him to figure his way around the giant ship._

 _About a few minutes or so of dead ends and wrong turns, Shadow managed to find the elevator that would take him to the kitchens. Once Shadow got to the kitchens he could hear the sizzle of cooking meat and the bubbling, boiling of liquid in the pots. As he stepped into the kitchens, he suddenly found himself in front of Vector._

 _"What the hell are you doing hedgehog?" He glared rudely._

 _"Well, no one came down to get my plate so I figured I'd bring it back up to you." He replied in the same tone._

 _"I was going to grab it after making breakfast." He growled as he grabbed the plate from Shadow. "You don't need to come up here, this is our part of The Ark so scram!" He shouted, only for Espio and Charmy to get in between them._

 _"Don't be rude Vector, you know he's new here." The ninja scolded. Vector huffed as he turned around and sulked back into the kitchen._

 _"Sorry about what he said to you, he can be quite cranky if he doesn't have his morning coffee." Charmy laughed. "Would you like some?"_

 _"No! He can get out of our kitchen!" Vector boomed from the other room._

 _"Coffee sounds good actually" Shadow said just to spite the head chef a little bit more._

 _"Great! It's almost done so you can sit in that chair, I'll be right back." Charmy smiled as he flew away and Shadow took a seat._

 _"So, how are you finding things down there?" Espio asked._

 _"Not that bad." He admitted. "I haven't been given any tasked yet and no one down there has bothered me even though the bat and the echidna live in the quarters on either side of mine."_

 _"Don't worry, The Dame and everyone else are just waiting for you to get adjusted, once she's sure your settled in, The Dame will give you your tasks." The chameleon explained._

 _"Why do you gotta be so grumpy?!" They both heard Charmy suddenly shout._

 _"Why do you gotta sleep on my bed?!" Vector argued._

 _"Why haven't you quit smoking?!"_

 _"You know how I get stressed easily!"_

 _"Who doesn't get stressed!?"_

 _Getting annoyed with all the shouting, Shadow got up and was about to intervene. The bickering between the two chefs suddenly halted thanks to the sound of shattered glass that came from the back of the room. It was quiet for a second until Shadow heard small little footsteps hitting the floor._

 _"Get it!" Vector yelled as Shadow watched all three chefs running desperately to catch whatever it was._

 _Shadow rolled his eyes as he waited and listened. He suddenly used his power to teleport to the otherside of the kitchen and grabbed what they were looking for. He looked down and saw that it was a small child squirm his hands, desperately wanting to be free. He suddenly felt a strong hand slap his back and he looked up to see Vector grinning at him._

 _"Looks like you might be cut out for this job after all hedgehog."_

 _"What is this!" The booming voice of Jules made all of them freeze for a moment. Shadow turned around and saw the blue hedgehog glaring at them. Shadow quickly realized The Dame's husband must have entered during that little episode._

 _"A child escaped sir, b-but the new guy got them." Charmy replied, a little nervously as Jules glared down at Shadow and the child still desperately squirming in his hands._

 _"Good work Shadow, I have placed some new furniture into your room, and when you return the child to downstairs, you should probably take a look where the child escaped from and make sure no more have run off, unless you want more work for the chefs?"_

 _"No sir, I'll go and investigate now." He quickly replied, already heading to the elevator..._

* * *

 _After putting the child back in it's room, Shadow checked up and down the prison over 20 times and he found no more escaped children. Afterwords the rest of his day was cleaning the lower levels of The Ark and this was the most tiring thing he'd have ever done. Especially since he still hadn't figured out the ins and outs of the ship and kept getting lost._

 _It infuriated him to no ends._

 _"This will definitely be something that will take time to navigate around." He mumbled to himself when he finally making it back to his room. He opened the door and saw Knuckles inside his quarters, waiting for him._

 _"About time." He huffed. "Sorry, should have giving ya a warning before coming down here". He shrugged as he sucked on a cigarette. "Care to talk for a bit?" He asked. Shadow rolled his eyes and sat up on his bed and reached for a cigarette from the red echidna._

 _"Thank you." He said as he took a puff of the cigarette. "Now what do you want echidna?"_

 _"I want to tell ya that ya better not let anymore kids get up to the kitchens again." He said, taking another puff and began to cough._

 _"What's the problem?" The ebony hedgehog snapped._

 _"After you left, Mr Jules ripped into the chefs, scaring them shitless, ya see, he isn't like The Dame, he couldn't care less about us, to him, were nothing but lower beings that should be rarely seen and never heard." He sighed as he took a long puff of smoke and exhaled. "That's why I don't care what ya need to do, but don't let them leave this section of The Ark."_

 _"I'll do my best echidna." He answered. "But I'm afraid until I know the in's and out's of this place I can't make a lot of promises."_

 _"I used to be the one making the rounds down here, so if it helps then I'll show ya the ropes." He sighed._

 _"That would be much appreciated." He told him, taking another puff._

 _"Tomorrow bright and early Shadow, better be ready to go." Knuckles said as he walked out of the room and shut the door, leaving Shadow alone with only his thoughts for company..._


End file.
